Thank you for taking time to visit, and I hope I am even a tiny bit helpful as I have been helped and blessed by so many others. I have been doing Calligraphy since teens, and card making for many years as well. In 1990 I delighted in the joys of stamping with ink and embossing after a trip to Cairns, Qld. In 2009 I discovered the brayer, 2010 the Cuttlebug, also have now taking to reading up on crafting blogs and lo! Here I am, on one of my own.

I live on the coast of eastern Australia. I am a Christian. I trusted in the LORD down here at the beach, amazingly it is not far from where I now live. It was over 40 years ago, after a Beach Mission Service at the age of 12 years

P is Pearls, Pink, Peach Purple, Paper Piecing, Patterned Paper and requisite butterfly.. yes, I used the lot! However you only need two!

To my desk, or desk 1!

For some reason I'm into stencils for moment.. rediscovering them. This is a NBUS - Hero Arts "Glorious Petal". The inks were smooshed peach, pink through to mauvy purple. Curiously, I did add purple (not shown) but it was muted to mauve. After smooching inks on craft mat, I added the embossing paste, and layered them on stencil blending in as I went.

Finished card - patterned paper (free digi download) is paper pieced onto bottom layer of die cut, you cant see it clearly but there are several layers on die cut. MB Pippi butterfly was snippet of card painted with shimmer paints in peach pink purple-mauve.

Desk 2: TOP TIP - discovery! for Distress oxides. I'd watched a video on sealing Oxides to make colours pop, they used a glaze by Tim Holtz. Thinking on it later (in my prayer time if truth be known, wandering mind) it came to my mind - Hair spray!!You see when I set Pan pastels I use hair spray, rather than buying tin of setting spray. Sorry didn't think to do a before and after shot - BUT before bottom rows of spots were virtually invisible and other tones not so definite. They popped!

Stamp
is Penny Black Terraced Lane - one of scene ones. Stamped in Versafine.
Inked with ink dusters + dye inks, happy birthday is again Crafter Companion, stamped with Versafine, and on cork.

Thanks so much for popping over for a peek, especially if you stay for a chat!

Wednesday, February 14, 2018

Hi everyone.
Been very hot and dry here in summery Oz, fires in some parts. Went swimming
yesterday at jetty beach, think might be in order today too. On left of 1st desk is box to be recovered with the calligraphic gift wrapping paper for the bride's set of gift cards, I've made. Covered already, added two strips of gold washi, it looks great.

Setting up desk under best fan in house, too
hot in craft room. Don’t have aircon, as usually sea breeze rescues us, but not
till later today!Time for WOYWW for Workdesk Wednesday over at Julia's place! To
my work in various stages of progress!Extra bonus is watching the Winter
Olympics while crafting. Aussies have won two medals, silver and bronze!
Great work considering not much snow here.. I’ve a spate of birthdays
this month that’s why I’m really glad we’re not big on Valentine’s Day here.
I’m trying to make a male card, should’ve taken a half made image from stash as
have them but wanted something different!! This Penny Black Stamp was in my
Christmas pressie, a NBUS!

If
it weren’t "Hearts" over at Feb. Two-fer Challenge, I'd have used this stamp. Tried a coloured sky on this.. new to me colours.

Another
desk, below, yesterday was making card using Finetex Gold paints to paint and
die cut looks great.

On Monday I posted a card similar to this see HERE! Also today is Mrs A’sButterfly #95 challenge - spin wheel with letter P. (She has revamped this year with heaps more
options).This fortnight is P is for Purple + pearls (or pink, peach, paper piecing, and paptterned paper.. lots of P options there!).As I decided to make a mauve/purple /gold version for
my friend who loves purples, pearls, butterflies and gold.. here ‘tis. For those who
didn’t see the Monday post take a peek, as do love this technique for getting coloured
embossed stamped greeting with clear embossing powder. Used technique on this too. This card isn't exactly the same as different butterfly die (SB)..

Last week my desk showed this
card, an Engagement card for a friend’s daughter, she was actually named after
me as I’ve known them for many decades. So a very special card... her favourite flower is lily of
the valley, and colour is soft green. As said last week, the Lily of valley are
SB die but I bought Die cuts on eBay and coloured them. Then used two Heart EF
on background, both CB but discontinued, Love set and Kimmy Luvs is other, corners are a Marianne die.

Die cut two green die centres from new circle die set
(Holly Jolly Nesting die set by Yvonne), using with the largest circle from SB
Royal circle. Added coloured and shaped lily of valley flowers with silicone
glue. Small bow is a CCD set. Lace gift from friend. Two hearts linked on right
are from CB Love set which is die set and folder. "S" and
"M" are from CB Olivia alphabet set.

The greeting is computer generated and as it’s glossy card I could wet emboss it. Rub anti static pad over it before printing, when comes out of Inkjet printer, quickly sprinkle embossing powder and heat set.

Now to Aussie shots .. took this photo to send to my sister.. the peach rose "Guitar" is usually apricot.. hot weather has changed the colour!!

This view from Oz this week was taken on our icecream drive this week. I don’t swim at this spot it’s too dangerous, bad rips and currents, however lots of surfers do there were some this day..

Well thanks everyone, for popping over and
especially if you take time to say hi.. you do so bless my heart and I pray
God’s special blessing upon you in every way.

Feeling unloved, or simply worn out .. know
this, God loves you and knows your sorrows and your joys, look to Him and
rejoice in this knowledge,

Monday, February 12, 2018

Lobbing very quickly.. to post this card for my Butterfly challenge entry!!! Over HERE is Mrs A's challenge ..

And the offering of this challenge has numerous options which immediately appealed to me .. I chose C for Corners and Cornflowers blue .. with the requisite Butterfly, of course! to my card.

CAS as was on time limit, plus my birthday girl likes CAS (even if she has no idea what CAS stands for!! :D).

This was
kinda CASED from one by Loll, on my Pinterest board under butterflies.
Of course, mine is different - I rarely do a direct CASE.

So this card is made with 300gsm card, great to work with nice and smooth, and white.. took a snippet strip for stencil piece.

I'm not
sure about UK, but in Oz cornflowers are very vibrant bright blue ..
however from research it seems a soft blue was meant by this colour .. covered both shades by doing
bright blue shimmer paints on butterfly and soft blue in TH Mozaic stencil ink. HB stamped greeting in same blue inks, unknown unmounted stamp (Victorine?). I
used Versamark and mini misti to line up and achieve embossing on dye inks
(Memento Sky Blue, Aronidack Cloudy Blue), gave wet embossed birthday greeting. I saw this trick somewhere (you tube?) but first time I tried it .. wow! it
worked a treat will do it again! Now doing another card in Purple.

I die cut the rectangle with a stitched CCD set, largest rectangle die extended. added silver cut of Memory Box leaf die, with Joy butterfly on top and pearls.

May the Lord bless your day everyone .. and thank you most of all if you pop over for a peek and chat.. you are blessing!

So on right is an engagement card on the make... all elements there but not assembled. The lily of valley flowers are Spellbinder, I bought die cuts on eBay in white and coloured them, had ten lily of valley, and ten blue bells cheaper than buying dies! but card wasn't grand to colour, a bit poor quality really. I'm a paper or cardstock snob, I think... to left of that is another card been sitting there almost done for ages now finished as birthday card for nephew 3, it will be late I think as is nephews 2, but not showing it. On very left are card inserts already printed out.

This was brayered and stamped (probably Archival Black) years ago.. a true snippet, as are the corners (a square die cut up), I used iridescent medium on the brayer gloss card base with Kaleidocolor pad in blues... or maybe Big & Juicy pad looking at edged in greens.. snippet used for greeting die cut. IO greeting set, top edgers.

Now these are three more of the ten cards made as "thank you cards set" .. a requested wedding present .. she likes blues and greens, I've been told - so used blue green brushos, on two of them - watercolour resist technique + die cuts on third (used a CCD, comes in two pieces, can be used as one or alter to size). EF is Embossalicious Swirl. CCD for first TY die, and for "thanks" is a CB Olivia alphabet set.

Enjoying the beach, and we were colouring too with my sister’s Prismas... the crystal clear water was superb and so time was enjoyed, just chilling. No we haven’t finished yet, but I'm going to make mine up into cards...

Today's desk now has lots of cards, just finished the last of the ten cards I was making as a wedding gift. No, not made wedding card yet, need an engagement card too for another couple. Not due til third week in Feb.

I’ve had been trying out some new techniques which I’d saved in my “Must Try This!” page on Pinterest. Mine, however invariably dont look like a CASE, at all.

This one I will keep for me, its with different butterfly a magasine freebie, one below has Kaisercraftt butterfly, script stamp is SU French Script. Stamplorations set for greetings.

Didn't have right stamps or Distress Inks colours, however I was told bride likes blues, soft green and neutral shades so used those. Loll's smooshing (see here) is nothing like mine. I couldn't get same intensity.

Wondered if she used DI re-inkers?

Mine just "mooshed" not smooshed, very non-descript, not a true smoosh!!

Very happy with these two, will keep top one, they were cased from Laurie's blog (see here) Again, not like but okay.. Used fern from discontinued set by Elusive images (pre-Chocolate Baroque). Used colours on Laurie's previous post but DI. Put down layer sponged layer of Antique Linen for background for ease of blending colours. Added Broken China and Cracked Pistachio in areas then blended with Antique Line again.

Yes, it was simply lovely going to swim at this spot, and not there weren’t lots of people there! Very very spoilt... Very blessed of God to live in such a beautiful part of His creation. Very grateful! Took few bird photos too. NOTE: all from inside house, so maximum zoom through windows. This is large dead tree in front centre. Two crested pigeons sitting in it.

These are two Masked Lapwing or hooded plovers, they seemed to be on guard over the two new native banksia planted that morning by local dune patrol (family member + neighbour :D)

A wee peek! it is a new TH holly stencil I bought before Christmas .. technically part of my Christmas present. I spent more that should have, so miss out on Crafty birthday present, as on total buying ban!! :D except for necessities like mounting tape, of which I am nearly out.

Snippet or strip of card applied with gold Dreamweaver embossing paste allowed to dry, then sprayed with shimmer mist, mounted and added to card. Verse is Digi by Karen Murray.For the card below it's stencilled with white texture paste, allowed to dry -> added inks in areas, using stencil to direct ink, and used Golden Glitz ink around background area. Embossing folder on side is a Sizzix set.

The Aussie shot.. spent few days on beach last week, though not here out at my sister's beach! Had few days out there .. :DHave loads of card unpublished so must get my act together!And yes I've been very bad in responding to your kind comments.

Thanks so much for popping over for a peek, especially if you stay for a chat!

May God bless your day wherever you maybe!

Shaz in Oz.x

"O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are His judgments, and His ways past finding out!" Romans 11:33

Wednesday, January 17, 2018

Hi everyone...about time I posted again! Been very busy here in summery Oz. Last week was visitors - swimming, going to movies, road trips north south to have lunch in country or by another beach.. really tough! So good to have this annual visit and fun! This year is going to be a busy year I think, as it already half way through January!

Am in
middle of making a batch of cards for a present, a wedding present
actually, thought of making wedding thank yous but the bride asked for
general thank yous so that’s what I’m doing. Over at Darnell’s she’s
started a brand new challenge this year it is called Two-fer Card Challenge. Make two cards but different ones, with same stamp or die.

Must
be card any mediums style. January challenge is FEATHERS!!

Mm, I thought
feathers first thought birds, then thought of this set of feather
stamps. Made two cards one in same style but different colour. Wasn’t
sure this would qualify enough difference, so at this point am trying to
make another card but different all around. I’m using brushos here.
Currently addicted to them. Underused like a lot of things.

This desk shows some cards in making for wedding gift, top desk is start of my two-fer challenge, light coating with Distress inks allowed to dry before adding brushos. Stamped some left some plain!

I was
asked to show my pineapples. They’re quite uninteresting that is why I
haven’t. Not enough rain, been quite dry here, for months now, and
they’re growing even slower than normal and I don’t water enough either.

This second one at front copped hailstorm we had on New Years Day. The one at back was protected. Hail wasn't huge but very sharp, lots of it, and plants like frangipanis were shredded.

Will share beach shot these, taken on an icecream drive last week before my visitors arrived.

Was such a glorious day. Really has been good summer thus far except for lack of rain!

May God bless you in your day wherever you may be, and thanks so very
much for all your kind encouragement.

Shaz in Oz.x

"The Lord
is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped:
therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise
him. " Psalm 28 vs 7

Illuminated Calligraphy - Who or What is a Christian?

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Where I live.

My name is Shaz and I am a former schoolteacher. I have found, like many others, that crafts are very therapeutic in times of "un-wellness". I thought this blog was one way of recording these my crafty ideas for myself and others.You are welcome to use any tips gleaned as long as it done in a respectful way, and not direct transfer for any gain. I have appreciated the help from others' sites and hope I may in turn re-pay this kindness.

IO - Impression Obsessions die.LOTV - Lili Of The Valley productsNesties - Spellbinder NestabilitiesNBUS - Never Before Used Schtuff (aka Darnell of DJKardKreations)MFT - My Favorite ThingsPP - PanPastelsSandwich -Plates (A, B, or C), Rubber mat, or Shims used with Cuttlebug machine in order to cut and emboss or both.Shim - a piece of cardstock, size of Cuttlebug plate, used to get right thickness to pass the folders, die etc through the Cuttlebug.